This angler enjoys fishing on the Salmon River, a tributary of Lake Ontario in Oswego County.Photo: Oswego County Tourism/Brad Smith

March 11, 2019. Like to fish? People of all ages can learn about fishing on Lake Ontario and its tributaries from
professional anglers, fisheries managers, and scientists at the 2019 Lake Ontario Fisheries Symposium will be held at the Fingerlakes Mall, 1579 Clark
Street Road, Auburn, N.Y., on Saturday, March 23 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The symposium, with
fish movement as the theme, is open to the public. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required at ILoveNYFishing.com or www.nyseagrant.org/losportfish.

“The program is designed to provide new and useful
information from fish basics to the latest cutting edge fisheries technology to
a broad range of anglers,” says co-organizer Jesse Lepak, Ph.D., a Great Lakes
Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist with New York Sea Grant, Oswego, N.Y.

“Our goal is to attract aspiring anglers as well as
generating interest in sustainable fisheries by raising awareness about Lake
Ontario’s fabulous fisheries and fishing opportunities,” Lepak adds.

Ten educational seminars will be held throughout the day
with question-and-answer sessions following morning and afternoon speaker
sessions. Visitors can attend any or all of the programs.

There will be a variety of informational posters developed
by regional fish managers and researchers, fish tank exhibits, outdoor gear
vendors, door prizes, and activities, such as crafts and casting, for learning
more about fish, fishing, and fisheries.

Keynote speaker Silviya Ivanova, Ph.D. student with the
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor,
Ontario, will discuss her research tracking salmon and trout in Lake Ontario at
3:00 pm.

New York Sea Grant, the Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion
Council, Fingerlakes Mall, Bass Pro Shops, and other partners are sponsoring
this “Fish on the Move” symposium.
A complete schedule of activities is posted atwww.nyseagrant.org/losportfish.

For more information or directions, contact New York Sea
Grant Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist Jesse Lepak, 315-312-3042, jml78@cornell.edu.

To
learn more about New York Sea Grant, a National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration cooperative program of Cornell University and the
State University of New York, visit www.nyseagrant.org.

Ithaca,
N.Y.; March 7, 2019. New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is among the most recent
recipients of support from the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) for its
work to support lake sturgeon recovery efforts in New York and lead
outreach and education programs to inspire appreciation for this
prehistoric freshwater fish and state Threatened Species.

The
fund has been supporting local efforts around the world aimed at saving
wildlife, inspiring action, and protecting the planet with more than
$75 million distributed to nonprofit organizations since 1995.

Lake
sturgeon was once abundant in New York, but populations began to
decline in the mid-1800s, largely as a result of overharvest, dam
construction, and habitat degradation. The fishery was closed in 1976
and lake sturgeon were designated a New York State Threatened Species in
1983.

Additionally,
lake sturgeon are listed by the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as a Species of Greatest
Conservation Need and considered a priority species for recovery in New
York. Today, it is illegal to possess lake sturgeon or target them while
fishing in New York.

The
fish is also considered a species of cultural significance to the
Mohawks of Akwesasne and other Haudenosaunee Nations surrounding the
Lake Ontario, Niagara River and St. Lawrence River watersheds.
Indigenous peoples in these regions have a long history of subsistence
fishing of lake sturgeon. Tribal nations are a key partner in
conservation and education outreach efforts for this species.

Over
the next two years, Disney support of the “Inspiring Lake Sturgeon
Conservation” project will help NYSG and its partners address portions
of more than half of the three dozen statewide recovery actions
identified in the New York State Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan. Partners,
including NYSDEC, USFWS-New York, New York Sturgeon for Tomorrow, USGS,
and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) Environment Division, will offer
invaluable expertise in research, outreach, education, and extension.

“Support
from the Disney Conservation Fund will help increase awareness about
lake sturgeon and the challenges they face as a Threatened Species in
New York. Lake sturgeon populations are showing signs of recovery, and
we want to encourage that recovery,” said project leader Dr. Jesse M.
Lepak, Ph.D., New York Sea Grant’s Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem
Health Extension Specialist, Ithaca, N.Y.

Recent
DCF-funded projects were selected based on their efforts to implement
comprehensive community wildlife conservation programs, stabilize and
increase populations of at-risk animals, and engage communities in
conservation in critical ecosystems around the world.

New
York Sea Grant, a cooperative program of Cornell University and the
State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs
under the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. Through its statewide network of integrated
services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental
sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great
Lakes resources since 1971. For updates on New York Sea Grant
activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.

Ithaca,
N.Y.; March 4, 2019. The environmental, economic, and educational
benefits of Great Lakes-focused projects spanning Lake Erie to the 1000
Islands region are highlighted in the 2019 New York Sea Grant (NYSG)
series of impact statements recently posted online at https://seagrant.sunysb.edu/articles/r/12919.

In
2018, NYSG's Great Lakes Extension specialists, based at the University
of Buffalo, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County in Newark,
and at the State University of New York Oswego focused on:
. helping
communities, businesses, and property owners learn about flood-related
coastal hazards and processes, and resiliency measures;
. facilitating new research and public education related to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario freshwater fisheries,
. providing excellence in Great Lakes coastal education opportunities for teachers and more than 17,000 students, and
. administering small grants empowering localized stakeholder-driven conservation projects.

Sodus Point workshop; photo: NYSG/Mary Austerman

Building Flooding Event and Erosion Resiliency
Several
NYSG projects in 2018 informed Great Lakes coastal communities and
stakeholders about ways to build resiliency to flooding events. For
example, NYSG partnered with the Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Planning
Council to develop and conduct a post-flood recovery visioning workshop
in the Village of Sodus Point, a Wayne County community hard hit by the
record-high Lake Ontario water event in 2017. Sodus Point Mayor David
McDowell commented, "Going forward, we will review the workshop
recommendations for actions we can take to put us in a much better
position to deal with future events."

NYSG played a key role in
providing flood resiliency training for municipal staff in the Great
Lakes region as well as designing and delivering a workshop to inform
property owners about using innovative, sustainable, and nature-based
shoreline protection practices as an alternative to utilizing hard
structure installations for reducing the impact of erosion.

In
collaboration with NYSG marine district educators, NYSG Great Lakes has
begun developing and testing a monitoring system to assess the
ecological, hazard mitigation, and economic benefits of natural elements
and nature-based shoreline installations.

To address the loss of
shoreline dune habitat and the development of a sand shoal that has
impeded boat traffic into and out of Lake Ontario at North Sandy Pond in
Oswego County, NYSG helped form a committee to research the associated
environmental issues. Seventy-some residents and business owners
attended an August 2018 information session to learn about proposed
management options that may include dredging to improve pond and Lake
Ontario access and using dredging material to restore dune habitat.

Cisco; photo: Ellen George

Enhancing Great Lakes Fisheries

Great
Lakes fisheries received NYSG attention in 2018 through a workshop
focused on the restoration of Cisco, an historically important fish in
Lake Ontario, particularly for the Chaumont Bay area of Jefferson
County. At the workshop, experts shared their knowledge of Cisco and
identified research and monitoring priorities for the future.

Additionally,
NYSG initiated efforts to reduce barotrauma to Lake Erie Yellow Perch.
Barotrauma is tissue damage caused by the rapid expansion of the swim
bladder of the fish when retrieved from deep water.

Outstanding Coastal EducationIn
recognition of outstanding efforts in Great Lakes educational outreach
and teach-the-teacher professional development training, NYSG Coastal
Education Specialist Helen Domske received awards from the International
Association of Great Lakes Research and the Science Teachers
Association of New York State.

In 2018, Domske led teacher
workshops in coastal counties and aboard the U.S. EPA Lake Guardian
research vessel on Lake Ontario. Additionally, Science Exploration Day
at the University of Buffalo provided 1,000 students, including those
from underserved schools, an opportunity to interact with researchers
and scientists to learn about science careers and environmental issues.

Funding Stakeholder Projects
To
encourage local stakeholder-driven Great Lakes ecosystem-based
management application, NYSG partners with the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation to administer the New York Great Lakes
Basin Small Grants Program. Since its inception in 2015, the program has
awarded more than $850,000 shared across 37 local projects.

Local
projects from Western New York to the St. Lawrence River region
receiving the small grants funding in 2018 focused on building shoreline
community climate resiliency, ecosystem restoration, assessing
opportunities to enhance waterfront access, evaluating the integrity of
shoreline septic systems, and a hydrologic study to attenuate flooding
impact on a Monroe County village and its residential structures.

To
learn more about New York Sea Grant, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration cooperative program of Cornell University and the State
University of New York, visit www.nyseagrant.org.

Tickets are
available at Dobbins Drugs and the auditorium Box office. Box office hours: February
25: Mon-Thursday, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Also Sat. March 2nd 10-2 p.m... (Adults
$10, Sr./Students $8 add a dollar if purchased at the door)

The licensing agent, Music Theatre International, received
thousands of applications to produce the hit show, yet only a handful of young
performers were granted the legal rights to do so!

The Lyons High School program, under the direction of Mark
Wlodarczyk and Danielle Teeple, have achieved stellar performance quality
status. “The ability to produce another premier production (2nd to Disney’s The
Little Mermaid 3

years ago) is a GIFT” said, Teeple., “We have the perfect cast,
and they sing these popular hits of the 70’s and early 80’s with a level of
skill that far surpasses high school level vocalists.”

“It is such a treat. You travel to Greece and get an ABBA
concert all within 2 hours!” said Wlodarczyk!

Mark your calendars! You don’t want to miss this high energy,
fast paced show! March 8,9 10th! Tickets available from the auditorium box
office, nightly, from 6-8:30pm, as well as from Dobbins Drugs and all cast
members.

Mar 14 - Abundance Theory: On Thursday, March 14 at 5:00 PM, Abundance Theory at Books, ETC. Participants study how to practice positive thinking. They learn how to develop life habits that encourage success. These habits include setting goals and learning to manifest. Come and see the possibilities. This event is free and open to the public at Books, ETC., 78 W Main St., Macedon. For questions email books_etc@yahoo.com